HTINews Interview

Interview with Craig Chadwick
President, Custom Solutions Inc.

QUESTION 1 - In his State of the Union Address, President Clinton gave the nation 1000 days to have a PC in every house and internet access for every child. How does this vision affect the Home Automation industry and where will we be in 1000 days (Year 2000)?

Consumers are increasingly becoming more technically-aware. As computer use in the home spreads, more people will become comfortable with the technology. They will gradually become aware of home automation made possible by the computer, and less fearful of it. Initially, more people will use low-cost PC-based automation controllers (like ActiveHome, HomeDirector, etc.). Once they've experienced the power of automation, I believe many will switch to more powerful stand-alone systems. This shift will be made to avoid the need for the PC to be on constantly, and to prevent the regular computer crashes from shutting down the entire automation system. This will certainly help propel the home automation industry forward. However, President Clinton's vision is not a watershed event for us, as home automation will always lag behind the computer industry's growth.

QUESTION 2 - Keeping with the 1000 day theme ... will the Protocol Wars be resolved by the year 2000 and who will win (X10, CEBUS, LONWORKS, OTHER)?

I don't expect it to be resolved by the year 2000. CEBus and LonWorks have significant technical advantages over X-10, but that isn't always enough to win in the marketplace. I expect them to slowly become more cost competitive with X-10. Gradually, new users will then opt for one of these (and I won't try to guess which one). Increasing volumes will slowly allow cost reductions. Existing X-10 users will continue with it because the cost of replacing their existing devices is too high. The only way we'll see a dramatic shift is if a major manufacturer selects CEBus or LonWorks, produces a wide array of products in very large quantities, sells them for not more than 30% above X-10 prices, and markets them like crazy. However, I don't see anyone doing that, so all three will probably still be around for a long time.

QUESTION 3 - Do you think the average consumer will accept Home Automation as a way of life and if so who do you see as leading the way to this acceptance and awareness?

Eventually, yes. The benefits and conveniences are too great to ignore. However, there are several criteria that must be achieved first to get mass market acceptance:

The system should be easy to set up. The consumer who can't program a VCR won't be able to program a whole-house automation system like HomeVision or StarGate. And he won't want to pay an installer to do it. A simplified procedure (like a setup "wizard") is necessary, and is something we're working on.

The system should be usable without any training. If the kids, parents, and guests can't use it with less than a minute of guidance, it won't fly. This requirement dictates the type of user interface, which I discuss in another question.

It must operate EXTREMELY reliably. Users won't accept erratic operation of security or HVAC systems. For this reason, I believe that PC-based systems will not be the mass market answer. Unless you use a dedicated PC (which is costly), there will always be crashes, errors during rebooting after a power failure, or kids who shut off the automation program because it slows down their favorite computer game. A stand-alone controller can provide a more reliable system at a lower cost than with a PC, which is why we went that route with HomeVision.

Low cost (obviously!). I can't give you a target price, but we all know $5000+ systems won't sell in the mass market.

There are systems today that meet most of these criteria, but not all. There are a lot of small, innovative companies in the industry that are moving us towards such a system. However, none of us have the marketing resources or manufacturing capability to change the world overnight. As the market grows, larger companies will move in and expand their offerings. That will lower product costs, increase consumer acceptance, and eventually push home automation into the mainstream.

QUESTION 4 - OK, I'm ready to get on the HA bandwagon now but am concerned about investing in equipment which may be redundant tomorrow. How can I protect myself from the upgrade squeeze (perfected by the PC industry)?

First, you've got to select the communications technology. The main power line carrier choices are X-10, CEBus, and LonWorks. X-10 dominates the home market today, and will remain around for a long time. CEBus and LonWorks are up and coming, but they're higher risk. If you select one of these and their available products don't increase significantly, you'll be left with a costly investment with few accessories. I really like both the CEBus and LonWorks technology, but I think X-10 is the safest (and least costly) choice right now.

Your other major choice is the controller. The major points to consider in selecting it are:

Interfaces. Make sure the controller can handle all the types of interfaces you may want in the future. I believe there are three interfaces all automation systems must have:

Two-way power line carrier. If this is X-10, it must handle all 256 addresses and support commands like Preset Dim, Status Request, Hail Acknowledge, etc.

Two-way infrared. A whole-house controller ought to be able to control your audio/video equipment. It should also be able to receive commands from your standard TV remote.

Serial port for interface to PC or other devices.

Several other interfaces border on "must have", depending on the user:

Video output to TV. In conjunction with an infrared receiver, this gives you an extremely powerful user interface.

Digital inputs. There will often be a few devices that work much better hard-wired (like motion sensors).

Phone interface. A phone can be a convenient auxiliary interface.

Finally, decide whether you'll need relay outputs, analog inputs, or any additional types of interfaces. Should you decide that you need EVERY interface, you'll probably have to buy a couple of systems and tie them together!

Programming power. The system should provide a very powerful programming language that can handle very large schedules. Get one that does more than you think you'll need. You'll keep coming up with new ideas, and you won't be pleased when you can't implement them because there's not enough memory or the command you need doesn't exist. This was a key factor in our development of HomeVision. It provides over 250 commands and 100 If-Then-Else conditions, and a schedule length of over 9000 lines.

Upgrade policy. First, pick a manufacturer that's continually upgrading the software and firmware. Look at how frequently they've released versions with new features (and don't count bug fixes!). Then, make sure they offer the upgrades at a reasonable price. All HomeVision users get one free upgrade. After that, software-only upgrades are available free via the Internet or e-mail. Firmware upgrades vary by distributor, but cost at most $10.

If you select a controller with all the interfaces you might need, all the programming power to make use of these interfaces, and inexpensive upgrades, you'll get many years of use from it. My best advice is to buy something with slightly more capability than you initially plan to use, because there's nothing worse than having to scrap your system and start over.

QUESTION 5 - In your opinion, what is the ultimate HA Interface and when do you think it will be available to the marketplace?

There is no ultimate interface that can do all things; a variety of interfaces will always be needed. However, I believe that in order for any home automation system to appeal to a mass market, one interface issue is critical: The system should be useable without any training: kids, parents, and guests should all feel equally comfortable with it.

Designing a system with such a user interface is a challenge. There are systems today that meet this requirement (mainly by using LCD touch panels), but they cost $20,000 or more. I believe that the only way to cost effectively provide the necessary interface is by using the television as a display and a standard infrared remote for input. Everyone already has these items and knows how to use them. It's then a matter of creating a system that presents the information in an intelligent manner.

Humans are visual creatures; we want to see what we're doing. For example:

Would you rather program your thermostat staring at it's small LCD screen, or while sitting in front of your TV?

Would you prefer to change the time the porch light comes by going to your PC or the TV?

Do you want to start your home theater system by punching in a hard-to-remember code on your phone, or by selecting "Start Home Theater" from a TV menu?

This is why we developed HomeVision, including both video output and infrared receive capability. This combination gives the user an easy way to determine all his options and select one. All users have immediate access to the system's full power without any training.

The trend towards expanding use of the television is obvious. Numerous multi-billion dollar companies are developing "Net PC's" designed for display on the TV. Phillips has introduced "Web TV" to view the internet on your TV. Home automation systems must follow this trend, because a nation of couch potatoes will demand that their home automation system work the same way.

A computer could also provide this same sort of visual interface. However, there will always be a lot more TV's than computers in the typical household. Most users would prefer to use the TV than to trek to the computer to start the home theater system or dim the lights. One option is to output the computer video to the TV, but this necessitates a way to get user commands back into the computer. The result can be a very powerful home automation system, but the cost will be too great for mass market acceptance.

HomeVision provides the only low-cost system on the market that integrates video, two-way infrared, two-way X-10, and digital inputs/outputs. It's not the "ultimate" interface, as you could spend considerably more to get a very high-end system. But it's the closest available today at a low cost. Within 2-3 years, I expect to see significantly more powerful TV interfaces, both from ourselves and our competitors.

Biography

Craig Chadwick is President of Custom Solutions, Inc., and the lead developer of HomeVision. Custom Solutions is responsible for both the hardware and software design of HomeVision and its peripheral products. Previously, Craig worked for 12 years at a Fortune 500 company in the defense industry, where he designed military and space electronics such as communications equipment. He has a Bachelor's degree in Engineering Science and Mechanics from Georgia Tech, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Florida Tech.

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